


Let's See If You Believe in Me

by katayla



Category: How I Met Your Mother
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-19
Updated: 2010-12-19
Packaged: 2017-10-13 19:14:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/140727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katayla/pseuds/katayla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barney's wearing a Santa costume. Robin decides to investigate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let's See If You Believe in Me

Barney came into MacLarens wearing a Santa costume.

Of course he did.

Robin didn't even need to listen to the explanation he gave. Barney and crazy costumes were always about hitting on women. She thought Santa was maybe a little _too_ easy, a too obvious choice, but, hey, she wouldn't ruin his fun.

The weird thing was when he wore it the _next_ night, too. Now it was _definitely_ too easy.

Which she told him.

Barney shrugged. "Robin, this costume can only be worn for a few weeks each year and I intend to take full advantage of it. Don't _you_ want to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what you want?"

Well, yeah. Part of her did, but she wasn't going down that path again. So instead, she smirked and said, "If you really wanted a challenge, you'd wear that in the middle of summer."

And his eyes lit up and he said, "Challenge accepted!"

So she figured she'd be seeing the costume again in about July or so. But that still didn't explain it _now._

The next day, she followed him. She decided to call it investigative journalism. It wasn't like she got to put that skill to use at her _actual_ job. She followed him out of his work, nearly lost him in traffic, and then they ended up at a mall.

Which was pretty much the last place she wanted to be, but she wasn't backing down now. So she followed Barney all the way into the mall. He disappeared behind an unmarked door. She waited. Could this really be going where she thought it was?

He emerged wearing the Santa costume. She didn't have to follow him now to know where he was going. He ended up in the big chair at the end of the mall. The line of children was already long and she could hear their voices rise as they caught sight of Barney.

She stood there for a while, watching. Barney took each child into his lap and, yeah, he checked out each momshe could almost hear his mental train of thought: hot single mom, not-as-hot, but desperate, has given up all hope of ever looking hot againbut when the children were in his lap, all his attention was on them. He nodded and smiled and asked serious questions.

And it made Robin's heart ache in a way it hadn't in a very long time.

Eventually, Barney looked up and saw her. She almost laughed at the complete look of panic on his face. So she just smiled and waved and took a seat nearby.

When Barney came and sat next to her, he said, "Hot single moms, you know."

"I see."

"Why go to them when they can come to you?"

"It makes perfect sense," Robin said. And it did. It was exactly something Barney would do. What Barney wouldn't do is keep it a secret. Not if that were the reason.

"Don't tell the others, okay?"

"I won't."

"I used to always ask Santa for my dad," Barney said.

And Robin just nodded.


End file.
